Category: Crime
Nearly Five Years Later, FBI Makes Arrest In DC Pipe Bomb Case
The FBI made an arrest early Thursday morning in the five-year-old Washington, D.C., pipe bomb case. Authorities arrested Brian J. Cole Jr. and accused him of planting two live bombs on Jan. 5, 2021 — one near in the vicinity of the headquarters of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the other near the headquarters […]
Thanksgiving nightmare: Woman gives chilling ‘independence day’ confession about slashing boyfriend’s throat, police say
An Arizona woman allegedly admitted to trying to murder her sleeping boyfriend on Thanksgiving, according to court documents. What’s more, authorities said the woman told her boyfriend, “Today is my independence day.”
Tamala Rudeseal — a 52-year-old from Mesa — was arrested on Thanksgiving night and booked into the Maricopa County Jail on attempted murder and aggravated assault charges. Her bond was set at $1 million.
‘God, I hope he is dead; it’d be a favor to me, his wife, and his children.’
Police said Rudeseal called 911 around 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving and reportedly made several alarming remarks.
Citing court records, KPNX-TV reported that Rudeseal was heard saying during the 911 call, “I’m sick of what you do to me, today is independence day.”
Court documents also claim Rudeseal was heard saying, “Yes … I did just try to murder you,” and “I’m ready to go to prison.”
Police said when officers arrived at the residence, they found Rudeseal’s boyfriend with a cut running from his left ear to the center of his neck.
The wounded man was rushed to a local hospital and underwent emergency surgery for a neck laceration, according to KSAZ-TV. Officials told the news outlet that the man is expected to survive.
The boyfriend informed investigators that the couple had argued earlier in the day, court docs stated.
Arizona Family, citing court documents, reported that the man told detectives he was asleep when he woke to a sharp pain in his neck. Court records also state that he told investigators that he thought he was going to die but controlled the bleeding with his shirt until police arrived.
The boyfriend said he’d been in a relationship with Rudeseal for 11 years and that she is often depressed around the holidays, according to court records.
According to court docs, Rudeseal informed police that she told her boyfriend, “I’m going to slice your (expletive) throat.”
According to court docs, when asked by investigators if she was attempting to kill her boyfriend, Rudeseal responded, “Yes. God, I hope he is dead; it’d be a favor to me, his wife, and his children.”
According to court records, Rudeseal also told authorities, “I planned on doing the other side and then stabbing him in the heart.”
Records show Rudeseal complained to officers that her boyfriend “does not do anything around the house” except sit, smoke, and drink.
Police detained Rudeseal at the crime scene and recovered a large folding hunting knife close to where she was found, authorities said.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office told People magazine that the case is “currently under review by our office.”
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday afternoon told Blaze News that Rudeseal “is still in custody.”
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College student mauled and killed by 3 pit bulls she was pet sitting, police say
The family of a 23-year-old student is grieving her death after she was mauled and killed by three pit bulls that she was caring for in Tyler, Texas.
Deputies found Madison Riley Hull lying in the backyard of the home when they were called on Nov. 21 and said the dogs appeared to want to attack them as well, according to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office.
‘She loved life with her whole heart and moved through the world with a free-spirit that lifted those around her.’
One deputy fired his weapon at the dogs, killing one.
That caused the other dogs to run off, allowing the deputies to carry Hull away from the home safely. She was later declared dead.
The other two dogs were ordered to be euthanized by a justice of the peace.
Investigators said they are considering criminal charges for the owners of the dogs.
“Obviously these people weren’t home at the time that this happened,” said Smith County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Larry Christian to KLTV-TV.
“We don’t know the dynamics of the relationship that this dog sitter, Miss Hull, had with these dogs, if she’s been around them before or whatever. But all of those things will be taken into consideration whenever they decide to make a decision on whether charges will be filed or will not be filed.”
Hull was a student at the University of Texas at Tyler.
RELATED: 1-year-old girl mauled to death by family’s pit bull, police say
Christian said the deputies were called to the home by a neighbor.
“This young lady had a dynamic future ahead of her. And, of course, she lost her life in a tragic manner, and it’s a tragedy for the family,” he added. “We do pray for them as well and just hope that they can gather the strength to get through this. We also pray for those who responded to the call and for the neighbor who had to witness what occurred out there.”
Hull’s mother, Jennifer Hubbell, wrote about her daughter in a post on GoFundMe.
“Madi was love, she was light, she was kindness, she was laughter, she was fierce in the most beautiful and disarming way,” Hubbell wrote. “She loved life with her whole heart and moved through the world with a free-spirit that lifted those around her.”
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Man who brought Happy Meal to buy 11-year-old girl for sex slavery will be deported after serving decades in prison
A man living in Oklahoma was convicted for charges related to the attempted sexual trafficking of a minor after getting caught in an undercover sting operation.
Braulio Luna, 59, arranged to purchase an 11-year-old girl for sexual activity, but unbeknownst to him, he was speaking to police officers pretending to be human traffickers.
‘There is actually … code words that people use to advertise these. And once you are in the trade, you understand what these code words are.’
The operation involved officers posting ads as a mother who was trying to sell her 11-year-old daughter.
“Mr. Luna responded to that ad and started making preparations to actually purchase an 11-year-old for a sexual encounter,” said Maj. Adam Flowers of the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office to KFOR-TV.
Investigators noted that Luna brought a McDonald’s Happy Meal with him to purchase the fictitious girl, which they said demonstrated his intent to exploit a minor.
Rather than finding his intended victim, Luna found deputies waiting in a hotel room and was arrested on August 29, 2024.
Luna confessed to investigators that he had harmed a child in the past, and police are working to identify that victim.
“But unfortunately, it’s kind of like a cold case. We know they’re out there. We just don’t know who they are. He wasn’t forthcoming with that,” Flowers added.
Luna pleaded guilty to felony child exploitation and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He must serve at least 18 years before being released.
Court documents indicated that Luna would also be deported to his country of origin after serving his time in prison. He was a legal U.S. resident but not a citizen.
Flowers said that traffickers use everyday apps such as Snapchat, Tinder, and Facebook to seek their victims.
“There are numerous websites out there that cater to this type of black market, illicit activity where people are selling themselves for sex,” Flowers said.
“Family members, foster families, even kids that are being trafficked by pimps,” he explained, “they all have people that use these apps for illicit purposes. There is actually … code words that people use to advertise these. And once you are in the trade, you understand what these code words are.”
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14-year-old girls that went missing from sleepover were forced into prostitution by men they met online, police say
Three teenage girls were rescued by family members from a sex trafficking ring after they went missing from a sleepover in Connecticut, according to police.
The 14-year-old girls left the sleepover on May 1 with friends and ended up at a home in Hartford, where police said they were sexually assaulted by 19-year-old Donovan Dunn and four other men.
‘We can’t tell people how many of these cases start with grooming online.’
The girls were dropped off at another location and later ended up at a Super 8 motel, where they were allegedly sexually assaulted by two men, according to a criminal complaint.
Police said a 36-year-old man named Ahmad Compton later arrived at the motel and raped the girls. He told them he would get them business. That man took them to an apartment on Nelton Way.
The girls were given alcohol and drugs during the ordeal that lasted three days.
Families of the girls reported them missing and started canvassing the neighborhood looking for them.
A witness called them to tell them that he had seen one of the girls at the Nelton apartment, and the families were able to rescue them.
The girls were taken to the Connecticut Children’s hospital for evaluation.
Seven men were arrested for their alleged involvement in the sex trafficking of the underage girls. They were charged with numerous counts, including sexual assault, kidnapping, risk of injury to a minor, and illegal sexual contact with a minor.
One of the girls is said to have called the incident a “joyride gone bad.”
“This is a difficult crime that not only impacted these young girls, but also their families and the community, and it’s a reminder that human trafficking does occur and it’s devastating when it does,” said Hartford State’s Attorney Sharmese Walcott.
Krystal Rich, executive director of the Connecticut Children’s Alliance, told WVIT-TV that families need to monitor carefully what their children are doing on social media and other online platforms.
“We can’t tell people how many of these cases start with grooming online,” Rich said. “It takes an entire community — be vigilant, come together, making sure you’re seeing the warning signs, reporting what you see, so that we can keep everyone safe.”
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